Design

The Audi image at this time was a conservative one, and so, a proposal from chassis
engineer Jörg Bensinger[27] was accepted to develop the four-wheel drive technology
in Volkswagen's Iltis military vehicle for an Audi performance car and rally racing
car. The performance car, introduced in 1980, was named the "Audi Quattro", a
turbocharged coupé which was also the first German large-scale production vehicle
to feature permanent all-wheel drive through a centre differential. Commonly
referred to as the "Ur-Quattro" (the "Ur-" prefix is a German augmentative used, in
this case, to mean "original" and is also applied to the first generation of Audi's
S4 and S6 Sport Saloons, as in "UrS4" and "UrS6"), few of these vehicles were
produced (all hand-built by a single team), but the model was a great success in
rallying. Prominent wins proved the viability of all-wheel-drive racecars, and the
Audi name became associated with advances in automotive technology.
In 1985, with the Auto Union and NSU brands effectively dead, the company's
official name was now shortened to simply Audi AG. At the same time the company's
headquarters moved back to Ingolstadt and two new wholly owned subsidiaries; Auto
Union GmbH and NSU GmbH, were formed to own and manage the historical trademarks
and intellectual property of the original constituent companies (the exception
being Horch, which had been retained by Daimler-Benz after the VW takeover), and to
operate Audi's heritage operations.
Audi Quattro
In 1986, as the Passat-based Audi 80 was beginning to develop a kind of
"grandfather's car" image, the type 89 was introduced. This completely new
development sold extremely well. However, its modern and dynamic exterior belied
the low performance of its base engine, and its base package was quite spartan
(even the passenger-side mirror was an option.) In 1987, Audi put forward a new and
very elegant Audi 90, which had a much superior set of standard features. In the
early 1990s, sales began to slump for the Audi 80 series, and some basic
construction problems started to surface.
In the early part of the 21st century, Audi set forth on a German racetrack to
claim and maintain several world records, such as top speed endurance. This effort
was in-line with the company's heritage from the 1930s racing era Silver Arrows.
Through the early 1990s, Audi began to shift its target market upscale to compete
against German automakers Mercedes-Benz and BMW. This began with the release of the
Audi V8 in 1990. It was essentially a new engine fitted to the Audi 100/200, but
with noticeable bodywork differences. Most obvious was the new grille that was now
incorporated in the bonnet.
By 1991, Audi had the four-cylinder Audi 80, the 5-cylinder Audi 90 and Audi 100,
the turbocharged Audi 200 and the Audi V8. There was also a coupé version of the
80/90 with both four- and five-cylinder engines.
Although the five-cylinder engine was a successful and robust powerplant, it was
still a little too different for the target market. With the introduction of an
all-new Audi 100 in 1992, Audi introduced a 2.8L V6 engine. This engine was also
fitted to a face-lifted Audi 80 (all 80 and 90 models were now badged 80 except for
the USA), giving this model a choice of four-, five-, and six-cylinder engines, in
saloon, coupé and convertible body styles.
The five-cylinder was soon dropped as a major engine choice; however, a

turbocharged 220 PS (160 kW; 220 hp) version remained. The engine, initially fitted
to the 200 quattro 20V of 1991, was a derivative of the engine fitted to the Sport
Quattro. It was fitted to the Audi Coupé, named the S2, and also to the Audi 100
body, and named the S4. These two models were the beginning of the mass-produced S
series of performance cars.
Audi 5000 unintended acceleration allegations
Sales in the United States fell after a series of recalls from 1982 to 1987 of Audi
5000 models[28] associated with reported incidents of sudden unintended
acceleration linked to six deaths and 700 accidents.[28] At the time, NHTSA was
investigating 50 car models from 20 manufacturers for sudden surges of power.[29]
A 60 Minutes report aired 23 November 1986,[30] featuring interviews with six

people who had sued Audi after reporting unintended acceleration, showing an Audi
5000 ostensibly suffering a problem when the brake pedal was pushed.[31][32]
Subsequent investigation revealed that 60 Minutes had engineered the failure –
fitting a canister of compressed air on the passenger-side floor, linked via a hose
to a hole drilled into the transmission.[30]
Audi 100 C3, sold as the Audi 5000 in the U.S.

Audi contended, prior to findings by outside investigators,[29] that the problems
were caused by driver error, specifically pedal misapplication.[29] Subsequently,
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded that the
majority of unintended acceleration cases, including all the ones that prompted the
60 Minutes report, were caused by driver error such as confusion of pedals.[33] CBS
did not acknowledge the test results of involved government agencies, but did
acknowledge the similar results of another study.[31]
In a review study published in 2012, NHTSA summarized its past findings about the
Audi unintended acceleration problems: "Once an unintended acceleration had begun,
in the Audi 5000, due to a failure in the idle-stabilizer system (producing an
initial acceleration of 0.3g), pedal misapplication resulting from panic,
confusion, or unfamiliarity with the Audi 5000 contributed to the severity of the
incident."[34]
This summary is consistent with the conclusions of NHTSA's most technical analysis
at the time: "Audi idle-stabilization systems were prone to defects which resulted
in excessive idle speeds and brief unanticipated accelerations of up to 0.3g [which
is similar in magnitude to an emergency stop in a subway car]. These accelerations
could not be the sole cause of [(long-duration) sudden acceleration incidents
(SAI)], but might have triggered some SAIs by startling the driver.[35] The
defective idle-stabilization system performed a type of electronic throttle
control. Significantly: multiple "intermittent malfunctions of the electronic
control unit were observed and recorded ... and [were also observed and] reported
by Transport Canada."[35]
With a series of recall campaigns, Audi made several modifications; the first
adjusted the distance between the brake and accelerator pedal on automatic-
transmission models.[28] Later repairs, of 250,000 cars dating back to 1978, added
a device requiring the driver to press the brake pedal before shifting out of park.
[28] A legacy of the Audi 5000 and other reported cases of sudden unintended
acceleration are intricate gear stick patterns and brake interlock mechanisms to
prevent inadvertent shifting into forward or reverse. It is unclear how the defects
in the idle-stabilization system were addressed.
Audi's U.S. sales, which had reached 74,061 in 1985, dropped to 12,283 in 1991 and
remained level for three years.[28] – with resale values falling dramatically.[36]
Audi subsequently offered increased warranty protection[36] and renamed the
affected models – with the 5000 becoming the 100 and 200 in 1989[29] – and reached
the same sales levels again only by model year 2000.[28]
A 2010 BusinessWeek article – outlining possible parallels between Audi's

experience and 2009–2010 Toyota vehicle recalls – noted a class-action lawsuit
filed in 1987 by about 7,500 Audi 5000-model owners remains unsettled and remains
contested in Chicago's Cook County after appeals at the Illinois state and U.S.
federal levels.[28]
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The Audi image at this time was a conservative one, and so, a proposal from chassis

The five-cylinder was soon dropped as a major engine choice; however, a

A 60 Minutes report aired 23 November 1986,[30] featuring interviews with six

Audi 100 C3, sold as the Audi 5000 in the U.S.

A 2010 BusinessWeek article – outlining possible parallels between Audi's

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